Xavier Postgame Presser | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Xavier Postgame Presser

One of the commonplace criticisms of Geno (that I haven't shared) is that he gets players that are easy to coach. for me, most of what transpired in this post-game are things that have become ritualistic remarks about the team. I have for a long time worried that his remarks will catch up to the Program and that middle strata of players that are critical to surround the one or two elite players that are coming will go elsewhere.
This team does not have a mid-range game. It does not have 2 or 3 players who can drive, stop and shoot the mid-range jump shot. Lou and Fudd can (CD can change directions and make baskets from top of the box; Aubrey really need to develop a jump shot-- mid-range), but they would be more dangerous making 3s. The top teams all have such a game. I find it interesting that we matched-up better with SC than teams with scrappy mid-ranger players/guards. I don't think we can beat them bec we can't handle their inside game and their rotating guard play. But I'll rather play them and Stanford than Iowa, Maryland, etc,
 
Pharos said:
"Or should be" I think they absolutely should be happy. There are so many reasons.
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Besides winning and getting a BE League Trophy, could you name them???
 
SCyankee said:
It is not your role to determine who is or is not a fan. The team is exhausted, their batteries are depleted. They can not maintain peak performance over the course of the entire game. The available bench is not good enough to offer much offensive help. The two best players on the team are unavailable. I have been following the team for 30 years and this is the first time we got worse as the season progressed. I do not believe the same players who were formerly praised by Geno suddenly became selfish., a very bad choice of words.
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One, why would you tell me what my role is? You don't know me, you don't know my role.
Two, not your argument, you should probably stay out of it. Let little man take care of him/her self.
Three, you're a fool if you throw your lot in with little man. A non-fan poster is not what you wanna be.
 
meyers7 said:
One, why would you tell me what my role is? You don't know me, you don't know my role.
Two, not your argument, you should probably stay out of it. Let little man take care of him/her self.
Three, you're a fool if you throw your lot in with little man. A non-fan poster is not what you wanna be.
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why don't you take this crap off-board. .. do your feuding in private. no one else is interested.
 
I think people are reading way too much into what Geno said in his presser. He knows he made his bed by putting all his eggs in the return of Azzi and not developing the bench the way he could have. The bench plays like the mop up crew when ever they enter the game because that is how they see themselves in the eye of the coach.

With that said the 6 they have could be enough to make a deep run in the tournament. They certainly have the size to compete, they have the shooters to compete, and Geno is still the best coach in the country. The only weak spot on this team is they have a few players who can't defend and that might be the challenge they can't overcome. My money will still be on Geno and the team responding.
 
To get through this season, Geno has scaled back practice, pumped the breaks on the offense to slow the games down, and pointed out at every opportunity the toll of excessive minutes. He's also given minutes to end of the bench players who would not be seeing the court in most years. Last night's post-game is a warning order for transition from survival mode to business mode. BTW, for those of you somehow surprised or disappointed at how we looked last night minus Dorka, are you even watching the games?
 
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Throw them under the bus is the opposite of what he did. The reason top players want to be "coached" by him , is that he will never sugarcoat your deficiencies and weaknesses. He then works with you on those weaknesses, so you improve. If players listen and work they have success and if not , Geno takes no blame.
The issue that he brought up with a limited bench, is if a player is not doing what they are told he can't take them out the game because he has no replacements.
 
SLY63 said:
Geno: "It's time we stop blaming the injuries, stop blaming the fatigue, stop blaming the tired. We are who we are."

100%
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yes, there should not be any blaming. but the fatigue is clearly a fact (largely a result of the swarm of injuries) ... why not acknowledge it?

don't use it as an excuse, but it exists and is (i think) a very significant factor in uconn's woes. it's something that's there, not an excuse.
 
PacoSwede said:
why don't you take this crap off-board. .. do your feuding in private. no one else is interested.
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Tell them to take it off line.

And it's not really a feud. I'm standing up for true UCONN fans. Like yourself. You should be thanking me.
 
msf22b said:
I found this conference bizarre, strange, almost irrational.

He was asked, but oh so gently, to explain the discrepancy for what he had proclaimed in November with what he was saying now.

Earlier in the season, he raved about how this team listened, how well they took coaching, how attentive they were to detail.

Fast forward and now its the opposite...they're selfish, not following his coaching, doing their own thing...
Think of it...he didn't really have one good thing to say about anyone...except when prodded about Nina's record.

These are the same kids
How did they get from there to here...who is responsible?

Remember that he had to take a furlough and seemingly was not himself when he returned...and that CD had slightly different ideas about how the team best functioned; which seemed to work at the time.

Yes, Geno spoke about the coaches failures...that they were not good enough...but it was pro forma...

For the first time in my memory, he through the entire team under the bus...

Danny Kaye: "It's not my fault mommy, it was Alvin's fault." (one of my favorite, oft repeated lines).

I'm not sure that anyone has the wherewithal to correct what has obviously gone wrong this season.

What we saw today was a very shaken man, who has no idea how to retrieve the magic with which this group started (that he accomplished) and his analysis is incomplete of what has transpired of late..And that was extraordinarily sad.

The video of this conference will be required viewing in coaching seminars and clinics for a very long time.

Have I a theory of what happened...why this happened?
His absence and his return at less than full strength...and not picking up on CD's approach and modifications...

And now...he's looking good, strong...he's ready...but the team has been doing it on their own wits for weeks and it's going to be hard, perhaps impossible to coral them back.
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Could not have said it any better. For "This Season" when Chris Dailey was coaching the team during Geno's absence, she seemed to have a better understanding of exactly how to motivate and get the most of this season's team. Yes, there were moments in those games, where players didn't perform on the floor as they should have, but Chris, Jamelle, and Morgan were able to coral the players together and quickly made the game adjustments that provided the success that they had during those games. It appears to me (and this is only my personal opinion), when Geno came back from his absence, he kind of lost control of this team. The style of coaching that made Geno one of the Greatest Division 1 Women's Basketball Coaches of All Time, just wasn't working with this group of players (which is different than the Style that Chris Dailey showed during her time coaching the team this season). Geno's "In Game" frustrations with the players, while on the court, appeared to be de-motivating. You could see production from a number of players go down, the body language on the court didn't look right, especially when they looked over to the bench and saw Geno with his head bent over backwards, or Geno leaning over, placing his head into his hands in frustration, or Geno screaming at the player(s). Chris Dailey's approach, as it seemed to me, was different, to which the players responded better to. This is not to say that the players on this team lost respect for Geno. That is not the case at all. But their drive, motivation and mojo was lost on the court. I feel that this is a HUGE part as to why this team was just beating teams by a margin much much less than they were beating teams earlier in the season, and especially during the stretch when Chris Dailey had the team. I feel that each and every player on this team wants to perform well and win for the University of Connecticut Women's Basketball Team and Program, "With All Of Their Heart and Might". But with a de-motivated player(s) it is very hard to pull out the "Inner Drive" during game time, when they see the Body Language and Screaming that just seems to zap all of the energy out of the players. It may very well be that Geno's style of coaching, that was SOOOOO SUCCESSFUL for DECADES, and made him the Legend that he is, has possibly passed him by. And sorry, but this team is not only physically tired but mentally tired as well. This is not an excuse, but in my opinion, a fact. I know that my comments will upset many people here in the Boneyard, but I just had to express my feelings on this subject.
 
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Pharos said:
I think the rest of my post explained that.
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The rest of your post just talked about Xavier and how Xavier should be happy. You said "so many reasons" for UCONN to be happy, I was just wondering what they were. I'll give you winning game, winning BE title, even season being over, but those were pretty much given going in. What else did they have to be happy about last night's game???
 
Display of "negative" by coaches, players, fans (?)... as though a particular team "deserved" anything has historically been frowned upon at UConn. "Negative" towards each other, "negative" towards refs, "negative" towards opponents... all detract from a "winning, positive attitude." Frankness with a hopeful attitude works. Also, the distinction between private and public expressions of frankness comes into it.
 
meyers7 said:
The rest of your post just talked about Xavier and how Xavier should be happy. You said "so many reasons" for UCONN to be happy, I was just wondering what they were. I'll give you winning game, winning BE title, even season being over, but those were pretty much given going in. What else did they have to be happy about last night's game???
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Substitute "UConn" for "Xavier" in the following:

Xavier! 0-19 in the Big East coming into last night's game. Coming into Gampel on Senior Night. Knowing they were supposed to be "fed to the lions." And what was their attitude? Positive! I imagine they set some smaller goals that they thought miiiiiiight lead to a victory, but which would give them reason for pride anyway -- play tough defense, execute our offense, don't back down, win the first quarter (lost by 2), win the second quarter (ooops, lost by 10), oh well, let's go for winning quarter 3 (hey, we tied them!), and let's go for the win in quarter 4 (Awesome! Won by 3!)
Maybe Xavier "was sent" to UConn to show them the right attitude?
Xavier left last night 0-20 in the BE, with their heads held high. Pretty good...

UConn... not 0-29... not "fed to the lions"... likelihood of winning... likelihood of winning any given quarter... opportunity to play tough defense (and ability to)... opportunity to execute offense (and ability to)... opportunity to "not back down"... UConn has measurable advantages for which they should (I think) have a "happy" attitude... UConn did not end the evening 0-20... So "happy" yup...

The idea of using Xavier as an example of the "happy" attitude UConn can have is called an a fortiori argument. If Xavier... then how much more UConn...

"... given going in" is the problematic...
 
Strong practices have been a foundation of Uconn wcbb from day one. Players have often cited the fact that the games are much easier than the practices. Geno has always said that playing time is earned in practices. Practices have been where the problems have been focused on and resolved by repetition of their corrections.

Understandably, the starters have played a lot of minutes and physical fatigue can be and probably is an issue but I think the real fatigue issue is more mental. Geno touched on this when he said they can run up and down the floor pretty well at the end of the games so that isn't really the issue. Nika hit the nail on the head when she said in a presser that they need to return to the intense practices that have been the signature of the program. This is from the kid who has played the most minutes on the team! She still can put on the after burner and find another gear at the end of most games. I think her teammates can as well. The fatigue and resultant drop-off in many games quarter to quarter is from mental frustration that things just aren't working and it becomes cumulative.

I would be surprised if this group is unwilling to practice hard if given the opportunity. Maybe the schedule (away, travel, home, etc.) has restricted the ability to do so. But, by his own admission it has been a coaches choice to dial practices back. From a recent presser, it has also been a choice to slow down the offense some. All this as an effort to lessen the fatigue on the short rotation of players.

I would argue that this is actually a part of the problem. Geno has said, Nika its the identity of this team. Well her identity has nothing resembling a grind it out half court game. Quite to the contrary it is a fast moving high energy game. That is what has worked when this team played its best ball this season. When Azzi was healthy in November that was the way we played, when she was out mid-December through the end of January for the most part we did as well.

Geno spoke of the team being 'selfish'. Well these are the same group of kids that he has collectively and individually lauded repeatedly throughout two-thirds of the season. I don't buy that they are all about their individual stats and 'reduced t-shirt sales'. They are more likely making a lot of questionable choices in an effort to do more than they perhaps should, or even can, to find their way back when things aren't flowing well - in an effort to help their team win. As Geno has often cited repetition ( i.e., reinforcement over and over in practice) makes choices, movements automatic. Being told in a timeout or sideline run by to do this, without the ingrained reinforcement of how or why it works, IMO isn't a great approach. I don't really think Geno wants a group that simply follow orders to a tee. As always he wants a group that 'knows' what the right choices/adjustments are.

His point guard, in essence has told him ' we are off track, we need to practice like Uconn wcbb and then we will do it in games'. There is a few days break until the BE tournament and then again before the Dance. I hope, rather than rest up, they, coaches and players, go to work and put in the work to right themselves. This team has shown they can do it the right way, regardless of who can play on a given night. They have no quit in them and all will fight to accomplish they're remaining two goals. They just need to find their way back to their identity of the first two thirds of the season. I don't think any of them want to rest at this point they want to go back to work!
 
Pharos said:
Substitute "UConn" for "Xavier" in the following:

Xavier! 0-19 in the Big East coming into last night's game. Coming into Gampel on Senior Night. Knowing they were supposed to be "fed to the lions." And what was their attitude? Positive! I imagine they set some smaller goals that they thought miiiiiiight lead to a victory, but which would give them reason for pride anyway -- play tough defense, execute our offense, don't back down, win the first quarter (lost by 2), win the second quarter (ooops, lost by 10), oh well, let's go for winning quarter 3 (hey, we tied them!), and let's go for the win in quarter 4 (Awesome! Won by 3!)
Maybe Xavier "was sent" to UConn to show them the right attitude?
Xavier left last night 0-20 in the BE, with their heads held high. Pretty good...

UConn... not 0-29... not "fed to the lions"... likelihood of winning... likelihood of winning any given quarter... opportunity to play tough defense (and ability to)... opportunity to execute offense (and ability to)... opportunity to "not back down"... UConn has measurable advantages for which they should (I think) have a "happy" attitude... UConn did not end the evening 0-20... So "happy" yup...

The idea of using Xavier as an example of the "happy" attitude UConn can have is called an a fortiori argument. If Xavier... then how much more UConn...
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If I was UCONN and got compared to Xavier....I wouldn't be too happy. I'm 1-18, I'm not as terrible as Xavier is supposed to make me happy? That's a pretty low bar for UCONN. I guess I just assume they expect more of themselves. I guess you don't.

And again, not talking about the season, talking about the performance in last nights game. That's why Geno was unhappy, and I assume the players also. And with good reason to not be happy.

And you really haven't come up with any reasons they should be happy.
 
maple said:
I'm enjoying hearing Geno talk. I think he is very frank about the team's and the coach staff's failures this season.

One thing I thought was interesting was that he said that most of these players are players who never came in with the expectation that they would be starters every game and be expected to perform at such a high level, for so many minutes, day in and day out. I think there's some truth to that. It definitely adds pressure to a player because they have been thrust into the spotlight into a role they were not expecting. At times they have thrived, at other times they have struggled. Do I think their play would be more consistent if all the players could play and they could play in the roles they were originally "meant" to be in? I think yes. We would be the #1 team in the country and favored to win it all.

This isn't me taking shots at anyone or making excuses. Imagine how much better even Lou (for example) would be doing if she could be on the floor, well-rested, alongside Paige and Azzi and Ice. She's already played GREAT this season and arguably performed above expectations, but just imagine ...

While obviously I really want everyone to always rise to the occasion and perform to the best of their ability in every single game, these are still student athletes. Teenagers. I played D3 and I was reasonably okay at my position, but I didn't play perfectly all the time. Sometimes emotionally and/or mentally we can be affected and not even realize it. To see how well these players have played despite everything is still something to be proud of as a fan.
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Why imagine that..playing along side of Azzi yes..but Paige and Ice were not in the equation..It was known before the season started they wouldn't be playing..the team they have now was the team they had at the begining of the year..why keep bringing up Paige and Ice after this team has played 31 games..
 
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browns said:
It is so refreshing to hear Geno say it's time to stop blaming fatigue and injuries and being tired "we are who we are"
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Agree, drop blaming fatigue, injuries and being tired. Not so much with, 'we are who we are' if that is in any way an assessment suggesting we aren't who we showed we were the first two thirds of the season, that that was pretenders and this is who we are.

The identity and ceiling of this team is that of the one that played the first two thirds of the season. They just need to find their way back. Believe me the talent, grit and desire are there. They don't intend to finish this season being less than. As I suggested above Nika has given the prescription and I have no doubt her teammates are all willing to take the treatment!
 
browns said:
Why imagine that..playing along side of Azzi yes..but Paige and Ice were not in the equation..It was known before the season started they wouldn't be playing..the team they have now was the team they had at the begining of the year..why keep bringing up Paige and Ice after this team has played 31 games..
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I think you missed the point I was making, which is that players this year were forced to take on roles they were not expecting to be in. Had they been able to play the “expected” roles the team would have struggled less overall does the stretch.
 
I was frustrated watching the Xavier game last night because there were plenty of times where players were hell bent on going straight ahead rather than making one extra pass to someone who was open. Look, I love AE and she's been great this year but there were a few times last night where she just drove into double coverage in the paint and Ines was WIDE OPEN in the corner.

I doubt Geno wants AE to barrell inside without considering the pass out to a guard. Dorka does the same thing when she will just drive into double or even triple coverage rather than making the extra pass.

It's like players decide to make a certain pass or play and just commits to it without considering the defensive adjustment or what has changed in that particular play. So many turnovers come as the result of trying to force a pass somewhere.

I'm sure that's what Geno is talking about when he talks about his coaching staff (and him) not properly teaching fundamentals to this team and I'm sure it drives him INSANE because these turnovers are all unforced errors not caused by the defense but because the team isn't reading what is being given to them.
 
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We sometimes debate what being a good "fan" is. I think sometimes it is similar to how we react to our kids. We love them, cheer for them, get mad at them, and are sometimes critical of them. We all know what the term 'tough love" means and sometimes that might involve being critical of a coach or player. I don't think that would make someone less of a fan.

Most of the time we are pleased with them, happy for them, and sharing from a distance in their success. But sometimes they disappoint. Geno might be the greatest coach of his era, but neither he nor anyone else is right all the time. That includes players, coaches and fans. Our opinions may be right, wrong, or irrelevant but this forum gives us an opportunity to give that opinion, and in some cases vent a little, which I suspect can be therapeutic, at least for me! ha!
 
SCyankee said:
It is not your role to determine who is or is not a fan. The team is exhausted, their batteries are depleted. They can not maintain peak performance over the course of the entire game. The available bench is not good enough to offer much offensive help. The two best players on the team are unavailable. I have been following the team for 30 years and this is the first time we got worse as the season progressed. I do not believe the same players who were formerly praised by Geno suddenly became selfish., a very bad choice of words.
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I have been following UCONN a long time too. IMO you have taken teh worng view about "selfish." As posters have pointed out the team has players doign mroe than they otherwise were palnned to.

That's why you see for example Edwards trying some passes that you are thinkign "what is she thinking?" Or soemimes gets in th post and forces a move instead of pass and reset. And if oyu are a long time meber as you say - then cna you explain teh lats tiem UCONN had a palyer get a Technicla Foul in the manner Lou had? If you don't want to call it selfish okay but it can be thought of as that imo.

And you didn't post this but for anyone criticizing Gneo's coahcing and his use of the bench - they are wrong. And hwo nayone cna criticize him or speak of retirement after this game is mind-boggling.
 
SCyankee said:
It is not your role to determine who is or is not a fan. The team is exhausted, their batteries are depleted. They can not maintain peak performance over the course of the entire game. The available bench is not good enough to offer much offensive help. The two best players on the team are unavailable. I have been following the team for 30 years and this is the first time we got worse as the season progressed. I do not believe the same players who were formerly praised by Geno suddenly became selfish., a very bad choice of words.
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oldhuskie said:
We sometimes debate what being a good "fan" is. I think sometimes it is similar to how we react to our kids. We love them, cheer for them, get mad at them, and are sometimes critical of them. We all know what the term 'tough love" means and sometimes that might involve being critical of a coach or player. I don't think that would make someone less of a fan.

Most of the time we are pleased with them, happy for them, and sharing from a distance in their success. But sometimes they disappoint. Geno might be the greatest coach of his era, but neither he nor anyone else is right all the time. That includes players, coaches and fans. Our opinions may be right, wrong, or irrelevant but this forum gives us an opportunity to give that opinion, and in some cases vent a little, which I suspect can be therapeutic, at least for me! ha!
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Great points from pragmatic perspectives. There's a lot of emotional responses going around that is taking this thread off the rails a bit.

We have to remember people are entitled to their opinions and the goal is to discuss amicably without getting too personal. Trying to categorize what a fan is because one disagrees another's opinion isn't helping anyone.
 
hjoerring said:
One of the commonplace criticisms of Geno (that I haven't shared) is that he gets players that are easy to coach. for me, most of what transpired in this post-game are things that have become ritualistic remarks about the team. I have for a long time worried that his remarks will catch up to the Program and that middle strata of players that are critical to surround the one or two elite players that are coming will go elsewhere.
This team does not have a mid-range game. It does not have 2 or 3 players who can drive, stop and shoot the mid-range jump shot. Lou and Fudd can (CD can change directions and make baskets from top of the box; Aubrey really need to develop a jump shot-- mid-range), but they would be more dangerous making 3s. The top teams all have such a game. I find it interesting that we matched-up better with SC than teams with scrappy mid-ranger players/guards. I don't think we can beat them bec we can't handle their inside game and their rotating guard play. But I'll rather play them and Stanford than Iowa, Maryland, etc,
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Question - has Aaliyah not expanded her shooting range this season? She's making quite a few of these shots that you're describing are missing from what I've watched.
 
cancontent said:
Question - has Aaliyah not expanded her shooting range this season? She's making quite a few of these shots that you're describing are missing from what I've watched.
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When Aaliyah's on she's good for 2-3 shots from the foul line to the arc, so it was good to see her hit a couple last night. Now if we can just get her to stop throwing passes into the locker room...
 
hoopsfan22 said:
When Aaliyah's on she's good for 2-3 shots from the foul line to the arc, so it was good to see her hit a couple last night. Now if we can just get her to stop throwing passes into the locker room...
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Yeah - those looked like passes Mahomes would have been throwing during the Superbowl. I'm chalking it up to being a tad more amped up after the tech on Lou.
 
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